More than 18 militants were killed after the special forces of the army conducted at least two anti-insurgent operations on Tuesday. The army said that the operations were conducted at locations along the Indo-Myanmar border in Manipur and Nagaland. The Army had been in contact with authorities in Myanmar regarding the strikes, officials said. A senior army official said that those killed in the operations included the Naga militants who killed 18 soldiers after ambushing their convoy in Manipur last week. The official said that they conducted the operations after receiving intelligence that further attacks were being planned by the militants.
Delhi Law Minister arrested over fake degree charges
Delhi Law Minister Jitender Singh Tomar was arrested by the Delhi Police on Tuesday on charges that he had forged his educational qualifications. Tomar, who resigned from his position on moral grounds, was arrested from his residence and was remanded to police custody for four days. Police officials said that said they had filed a case against Tomar based on a complaint by the Delhi Bar Council. They said that the minister was served a notice after 26 days of investigations, during which it was found that his name was not on the records of the universities he claimed to have gained his degrees from. Delhi Deputy Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party leader Manish Sisodia criticised the arrest, calling it illegal and part of “an attempt to teach the AAP a lesson”.
Government cancels licences of 4,470 NGOs
The Central government on Tuesday cancelled the licences of 4,470 Non-Governmental Organisations that allowed them to receive donations from abroad under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act. The Union Home Ministry took the decision to cancel the licences after an examination of the NGOs’ activities allegedly found that they had violated the Act. Many had failed to file their annual returns, officials said. Officials said that the NGOs had been issued a notice by the ministry's Foreigners Division and given adequate time to reply. The organisations whose licences were cancelled included the Supreme Bar Court Association and Kabir, an NGO founded by Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia. In April, the licences of almost 9,000 NGOs were cancelled for alleged violations of the FCRA.
Manmohan criticises Modi for abolishing plan panel
Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for “hastily” abolishing the Planning Commission and replacing it with the National Institution for Transforming India Aayog. Singh said that while the Planning Commission had coordinated issues brought up by states with the concerned Central ministries, the NITI Aayog had “no clear directives”, especially for special category states such as Uttarakhand. Singh also criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party for obstructing the passage of the Goods and Services Tax Bill, saying that the party had become the Bill’s “greatest champion” now that it was in power.
Geelani invites separatist, Sikh and Christian groups for seminar
Hurriyat Conference Chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani on Tuesday announced that he had invited Kashmiri separatist, Sikh and Christian groups for a seminar titled "How to Resist the Indian State Fascism". According to a statement released by the Conference, Geelani said that communal forces within India were looking to “saffronise the entire region”, adding that they were using “their state power” to do so. Those invited for the seminar include Akali Dal leader Simranjit Singh Mann, Dal Khalsa leader Kanwarpal Singh and leaders of the pro-Kashmiri freedom movement. The announcement came days after Geelani told reporters that he was not Indian by birth.